Get Mentored & Save Lives

*Please note this auction has ended. Thanks to all who participated in the bidding- even if you didn't win, you helped donate more to Thirst Relief by simply participating! If you'll be at WPPI, I can't wait to see you there! Watch PhotoLovecat.com for the Early Bird Happy Hour event! To my winning bidder- thank you so much for your generous donation to bettering the health of our planet! Your winning donation will provide clean water for 225 people!! That's amazing!

The Thirst Relief Mentor Auction is one of my favorite fundraisers to participate in because it creates a win-win-win situation for all involved. The bidder gets a great mentor for a donation that saves lives, the mentor gets to meet someone who cares about the world at large and help strengthen them in their pursuit of living a passionate life, and Thirst Relief gets the funding they need to deliver clean water to areas of greatest need. Watch the video below to learn more about how Thirst Relief uses your donation:

The auction ends tonight.

I'm participating as a mentor again this year, and I'm offering a year of mentoring ($1200 value) to help you define, refine, and move forward in whatever ways you need to this year. I've seen my mentees from previous years flourish and thrive after our time together, and while I know they did the hard work on their own, sometimes it was just a little bit of encouragement and advice that helped unlock the door they needed to walk through to get to the next step in their business.

Here are a few of the ways in which I've helped mentor others:
- Edited portfolios to showcase the most unique and highest quality work
- Defined unique branding elements that reflect an artist's individual tastes
- Identified niche markets and opportunities to strengthen presence in those markets
- Streamlined email communications by establishing appropriate filters for content
- Organized and created life + business calendars that reflect larger priorities
- Reorganized pricing structures to work with individual sales style preferences
- Set up pricing structures to increase profitability and exceed revenue goals
- Advised businesses and non-profits on social media and direct mail marketing campaigns that increased revenue and client/patron engagement
- Set daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly goals to help keep businesses moving forward and focusing on the larger goals to prioritize everyday tasks
- Helped businesses identify appropriate outsourcing solutions based on needs
- Revitalized two different failing businesses by creating sustainable systems

If you'd like my help with any of the above, or more, click on the image below:

IMPORTANT TIP:

There are MANY amazing mentors in this auction, so if you get outbid above your budget (and yes, I believe we should have budgets for our giving), take those dollars you were willing to donate for one person's time and donate it to another!! Just because you don't know them, doesn't mean they don't have something amazing to offer- the world works in mysterious ways and you may just end up with someone perfect for you! To see all the mentors by alphabetical order, which is also the order in which the auctions end [CLICK HERE]!

Thirst Relief Mentor Auction 2010

AUCTION IN PROGRESS! >>CLICK HERE<< TO START BIDDING!

Check out the tips on how to bid & win mentor auctions on PhotoLovecat.com!!

I'm up for auction again and this time I'm throwing in the kitchen sink!! If I have it, than you'll have access to it! For an ENTIRE year you get access to my contracts, marketing materials, private daily schedule, tax returns, EVERYTHING. On top of that, you get to pick my brain as often as you'd like! It's like getting the insider access of an intern, without all the work!

So, what's that worth to you? What figure would you put on an all-access pass to a photographer's behind-the-scenes operation? Whatever that figure is, I want you to turn it into clean water for developing countries. I want you to make that money go to work for people around the world with a trusted organization that is changing lives every single day. That's why I want you to sign up right now so that you'll be absolutely ready when the Thirst Relief Mentor Auction begins!

I'll also be speaking on the topic of pricing at an upcoming workshop called Inspire Boston. If the mentor auction gets a little too pricey, you can always join me and many other helpful photographers in the Boston area for this two-day intensive retreat! Check it out at InspireBoston.com.

(Special thanks to my dear friend pictured to the right, Roberto (aka Junk Culture), for helping me put my studio together last year! And no, he's not included in the auction, but you might get to meet him if you come out for a visit!)

Photo Mentor Auction Closing!

****UPDATE*** This auction is now closed! If you missed it this time, there's always next year!

The countdown is beginning! The unique thing about this auction is that if you wait until the last minute to bid, the auction is going to stay OPEN until the highest bidder is no longer contested! So... you can either put your highest bid in now, or wait and stay up all night bidding. If you only have a certain budget, but would still like to be a winner and have another wonderful photographer give you their objective opinion on your work, branding, or maybe even suggestions on how to improve your workflow, shooting, or marketing- take those dollars you would have put toward someone with a high price tag, and bid on someone who's going for a lot less! Remember that all winning bids go directly to Thirst Relief International- toward creating clean water to help save lives.

Even if you won't be at WPPI, we can still find a time to chat about your business and take a look at how to get you to where you want to be! If there's a way we can meet for your mentoring session, than dinner is on me! On top of that, I'll be your mentor all year long to help you reach your goals.... all for making a generous donation to thirst relief! There are so many great photographers up for mentoring in this auction that it would be crazy not to get some one-on-one time with at least one of them! For example, you could bid on....

LaCour...



Joe Buissink...


Joe Photo...


Garrett & Joy Nudd...


Michael + Anna Costa...


Jules Bianchi...


or Blue Steel... er... ME!!! ;-)


--> Go bid now!! <--

$5 Can Save A Person's Life

What did you spend YOUR last $5 on?

Did you save someone's life?

Every day 5,760 people die from waterborne illnesses, many of which could have been prevented with a simple water filter. You can help Thirst Relief International provide clean water to people around the world in several ways....

If you'll be in Las Vegas this March attending WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Convention & Tradeshow), you can bid on a 90 minute mentoring session with a photographer of your choice! I'd be honored if it were me, but there are tons of AWESOME photographers to choose from (I already know of a few I'd like to bid on!) To see which photographers are trading their time for donations, pre-register on the bidding site now: http://www.fotoverite.org/auction2/ and prepare to begin your bidding on your favorite mentor tomorrow at 10 am EST! Bidding will close on Tuesday unless there's a bidding war- in which case, it will last until the highest bid is no longer challenged.

Here's a tip to help you win! If you're bidding on one photographer and you get outbid above your budget, see if you can put those dollars toward winning another photographer mentor- even if you don't know them personally, I guarantee they'll still have some awesome insights and wisdom they can share with you and you'll probably learn something new!! The winning bids are donated to Thirst Relief International. Just imagine, you could help save the lives of 100 people for a mere $500!! Ever wanted to be superhero? If you win me, I won't just be your mentor for 90 minutes... I'll be your personal mentor all year long to answer your questions, give gentle direction, and help you accomplish your goals!  If you'd like to bid on me CLICK HERE!

If you won't be at WPPI, you can still make a difference by visiting http://www.thirstrelief.org/contribute.htm and make the next $5 you spend go toward saving a life! It's not just awesome karma, it's paying it forward.